Frogs defeat Cardinals 2-0 for fourth straight win, third straight shutout

Jim Schlossnagle has seen a lot of things in his tenure in Fort Worth, a run that stretches all the way back to 2004. But, he saw something new Friday night, as the TCU pitching staff stretched their scoreless streak to a program long 34 ¹⁄₃ innings against Lamar during their fourth straight win.

Nick Lodolo was a big part of the record breaking performance, as the sophomore lefty twirled a gem from the bump across 7.1 innings of work. Lodolo struck out 10 Lamar batters, walked just two - the first not coming until there were two outs in the seventh - and held the Cardinals to just five hits. He threw 105 pitches before handing the ball to Cal Coughlin after walking the lead-off batter in the seventh and getting a fielder’s choice. Coughlin made quick work of two Cardinal hitters, inducing a ground ball back to the mound and getting his first strikeout of the evening. He finished the ninth by pitching around a leadoff single, earning the save and securing a fourth straight win for TCU.

With the way the Frogs were pitching, they didn’t need much run support, and it’s a good thing, as the TCU bats were relatively quiet. They got on the board in the bottom of the third when Josh Watson went deep into the night, mashing a solo home run to right field to give his team a 1-0 lead.

It would be all they needed, though TCU would tack on some insurance in the bottom of the seventh, when Zach Humphreys led off the inning with a hit by pitch, and came around to score on back to back singles from Connor Wanhanen and Coby Boulware. The Frogs had just seven hits on the night and committed two errors, but Lodolo was able to work around both with little trouble.

Though the offense was quiet, the Frogs pitching staff showed up big once again, as TCU hurled their fourth straight shutout. The combination of Lodolo and Coughlin was overpowering, as they struck out 12 Cardinals and walked just two. Meanwhile, TCU K’ed just three times and drew three walks.

Of note, and surely not coincidental, TCU has yet to lose a game, or allow a run, since beginning the trial run of beer sales at Lupton Stadium. These two things must ABSOLUTELY be related.

The Frogs host Lamar for game two of the three game set tomorrow, with first pitch set for 3:30pm. Jake Eissler is slated to get the start, and the game will be shown on FSSW+.